U.S. Soldiers Killed, as Kabul Braces for Wider Protests
Afghanistan is bracing for intensifying protests, as outrage over the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base led to the first American casualties and President Barack Obama vowed to hold coalition officials accountable for the “inadvertent” sacrilege.
The three days of protests against Monday’s burning of Islam’s holiest book at the Bagram Airfield already have resulted in the deaths of at least 10 Afghans. Demonstrations are expected to escalate Friday, when clerics at mosques around the country are expected to dedicate their weekly sermons to denouncing the incident.
In an attempt to assuage the anger, Mr. Obama apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for what he called inadvertent attempts to burn the Islamic books, in a personal letter delivered Thursday by the U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Ryan Crocker.
“I assure you that we will take appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible,” President Obama said in the letter, according to Mr. Karzai’s office.
The Taliban on Thursday called on Afghans to kill Western forces in Afghanistan to avenge the insult. Hours later an Afghan soldier opened fire on U.S. troops on a base in eastern Nangarhar province, according to Afghan officials. Two American troops were killed before the Afghan soldier escaped into a crowd of protesters demonstrating outside the base in the province’s Khogyani district.